Style used to be an interaction between the human soul and tools that were limiting. In the digital era, it will have to come from the soul alone.

Jaron Lanier

With the proliferation of using AI to augment everything we do, demonstrating perfect skill in a particular area won’t be a difficult task.

Thanks to the masters of the past, and present, we can program computers to do just about anything to the level of any human throughout history. That’s powerful.

While I am curious about the development of AI aided writing, I remain skeptical of what it will bring.

I can see this as a net positive to schools, especially post secondary programs, where students are forced to write the same, bland, formulaic essays. Why do I say positive?

It might finally force teachers and professors to rethink their assessment methods if they know their students are just plugging in terms into an AI engine to spit out a paper.

However, the idea of reading a sample of your writing to get a sense of your voice, then writing large chunks of text—that’s concerning. Finding your voice requires endless hours, many detours and tons of experimentation. This is true in writing, music, performance or whatever pursuit one embarks on.

It requires giving a bit, if not all, of your soul and what you’re doing. There’s a reason we still celebrate Johnny Cash and not some overproduced boy band of the 90s.

My worry is we will become so enamoured with the production values we’re capable of and forget what’s behind it.

Delivering some thing with soul means you bare your imperfections and brokenness, along with your passions. If we’re willing to do that, then the future is looking bright.